The First Defiance
by w0rdpainter
Summary: According to the prophecy, James and Lily Potter defied Lord Voldemort 3 times before Harry's birth. They were so young; what if their first defiance came before they even graduated? Contains action, romance, epic battles, and a twist.
1. The Plan

**Author's Note: This story was born from a roleplay idea, centered around the character of Snape. Only later did I think to make Lily and James significant as well. Please read and review my first major fanfic! Thanks!**

**And of course, I don't own any of the characters, settings, objects, etc. Only the plot.**

-Part 1 – The Plan-

"Keep them in the village." A high, chilling voice pierced the cold air of a Scottish forest. "By whatever means necessary. Show them our might."

A group of young people knelt before the cloaked form of the speaker. Some of them bowed their heads in awe, others looked up at him, drinking in his sinister splendor with reverent eyes. One dark-haired girl dared to speak, her voice hushed, but shaking with excitement.

"And, master - if we find mudbloods?"

The cloaked figure gave her a terrible smile, with the air of a teacher addressing a favorite pupil. "Kill them. We have no mercy for filth."

-

Four boys, all barely of age, stood before the Headmaster of Hogwarts in his office. One held out a meticulously crafted lunar chart.

"Are you sure it's safe, professor?" Remus Lupin stared down at the full circle denoting the night's moon. "I don't want to take any risks."

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore smiled warmly at him. "You have nothing to worry about. The shack is right there, you needn't even return to the school. And I'm sure your friends will stick to your side." The other three boys nodded vigorously. "There. You have fun in Hogsmeade, boys."

-

The crisp, breezy afternoon in late November made a chilly setting for the last Hogsmeade trip of the month. The students of Hogwarts ventured out wrapped in layers, eager for the excursion outside the familiar castle walls.

A gangly seventh-year Slytherin stood alone in an alley of Hogsmeade village, staring through a frosty window at the wares of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. A few display quills scribbled furiously on pieces of parchment. He was eyeing one in particular that could translate whatever was written with it into 73 languages. He wondered if it could help him with his upcoming Ancient Runes quiz.

He felt around in his pockets, but besides his wand, only a few knuts met his fingers. He sighed wistfully. His family just had to live among the muggles, where there was no wizarding money to be had. It was bad enough that he had to carry his father's muggle name. To his pureblood friends, Severus Snape would always be on a lower tier, not quite on the level of their perfect lineage. At least they had finally forgiven him for associating with the muggle-born Gryffindor Lily Evans. Nevermind the fact that they were neighbors and had been friends since they were children. Her parentage was unforgivable to most of his fellows. But ever since his accidental slip two years ago, when he had called her that horrid name, she had grown cold. He regretted it every day.

The other Slytherins told him she would have no place in a perfect wizarding world. They said he had done the right thing, that by cutting his ties with the muggle-born he had improved his own standing. He would give up all of their praise just to talk and laugh with her again. Her bright green eyes could pierce the coldest depths of his heart, and it haunted his dreams to think of those eyes admiring that prat James Potter.

After staring at the quill for a few more minutes, Severus tore himself away. Thinking realistically, he knew he couldn't afford it. For now, he was doomed to a life of simple quills, secondhand robes, and borrowed books. But someday, he would be great. Then Lily would look up at him in awe, and he would save her from her low status. Together, they would bask in his glory.

The crunch of footsteps in the snow shattered his daydream. A short, stocky figure approached, its features obscured by the green and gray scarf wrapped up around its neck. Severus did not recognize his housemate and cohort until he was quite close.

"Avery? What's going on?"

"Snape! It's the chance we've been waiting for!" the figure replied, pulling down his scarf. "Want to get in good with the greatest rising power in the wizarding world? Come on!" Avery tugged on Severus's arm, leading him to the edge of the forest.

Severus ground them to a halt on the village outskirts. "Where are we going?" he demanded.

Avery grinned like a hungry fox. "A bunch of Hogwarts alumni got a chance for a test of worth with a great wizard. He's gonna be legendary, Snape! Anyway, they're offering to let us help!"

As Avery continued into the woods, Severus followed blindly. He thought of his dream for himself and Lily. Could this be the first step?

The boys stopped at the clearing full of cloaked witches and wizards, some of whom Severus half-recognized. The tall blond pretty-boy at the head of the group had to be Lucius Malfoy, who had been the star of Slytherin in Severus's first year. The hauntingly beautiful woman beside him was Narcissa Black; Severus remembered that she had been Lucius's devoted girlfriend in school. The others he didn't recognize: a pair of menacing and oddly similar-looking men, and another woman, a darkened version of the fair Narcissa. As Avery and Severus stood waiting, several more of their housemates arrived for the mysterious meeting. Mulciber and Rosier, two friends of Severus's, fell in behind him.

"Some gathering, eh, Sev?" Mulciber whispered, nudging him. "Too bad your girlfriend couldn't make it. I guess she's too busy wallowing in the muck with the other pigs."

While the other boys laughed at the joke, Severus scowled. He had pretended at first that his friends mocked Lily out of loyalty to him, because she had never returned his affections in a romantic manner. But he was only deluding himself. He could follow his friends to fame, fortune, and power, but if they didn't accept Lily, would it ever be worth it?

-

Narcissa Black fidgeted, uncomfortable with the bleak forest and the awed hush of the younger group. She whispered to Lucius to get on with it. Lucius cleared his throat and addressed the small crowd in a proud and haughty tone. "Some of you may recognize me. I am Lucuis Malfoy, and I am a pureblooded descendant of a powerful line of witches and wizards true to our kind. From your presence here, I assume that you all are also concerned with ensuring the purity and supremacy of the wizarding race."

Narcissa noticed a few of the recruits looking away nervously, including the sallow, long-haired boy in the front.

"We are here to represent the interests of the most powerful wizard of our age, a visionary leader whose prowess and plans already strike fear into the hearts of the weak-minded masses. The bleeding hearts, blood traitors, and _mudbloods_ dare not speak his name. But we who are loyal to his cause may safely address him – the Dark Lord Voldemort." Lucius smiled an icy grin and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a tattoo raised from his skin like a fresh scar. The youth gathered around, marveling at the sign of the skull and snake.

Narcissa turned away and crossed her arms. Lucius played the Dark Lord up like a god, as if he were Merlin himself. She followed the cause because Lucius did—it kept them together and it made her family happy. In all honesty, though, she cared less about having pureblook children than she did about having Lucius's children. But if that meant supporting his extreme hero, so be it—to a point.

"Tonight," Lucius began again, with more vigor, "we will storm Hogsmeade. The Dark Lord wishes for us to detain the students and distract the professors of Hogwarts. We cannot do this alone." He pulled a dark cloak and an eerie faceless mask from the air. "Whatever we can do to assist the Dark Lord, we must." His fellow graduates conjured their own disguises, as well as extras that they passed around with flicks of their wands. "They will feel our might," Lucius exclaimed.

Narcissa's sister Bellatrix, her dark-haired double, broke in with a jaded laugh. "And the mudbloods most of all."

Lucius hushed her, but Narcissa turned again, shamed by her unconscious disgust. "Lucius," she mumbled. He held her around her shoulders. "I can't do this. It's a noble cause, but I haven't got the stomach for it. You'll have to carry on without me." She kissed him briefly, then disapparated with a dull crack.

Severus, holding a cloak at arm's length like a sack of rubbish, shared her apprehension. But he stayed.

-

Back in the unsuspecting village, one James Potter couldn't believe his luck. On the opposite side of the old wooden table in the Three Broomsticks, none other than Lily Evans sat sipping a butterbeer. His good fortune didn't end there—this was not their first date, not the second or third, but the fourth! And that only counted the official ones, not the evenings sitting in the common room, or mornings over breakfast in the Great Hall, talking and laughing and making up for the lost time of all those years Lily had spent hating him.

Lily couldn't believe it either, but since she had warmed to Potter the year before and finally accepted a date earlier in their seventh year, James has turned out to be a perfect gentleman and a stunning conversationalist. They could lose hours discussing the highs and lows of various classes, their plans for the future, even topics as abstract as magical ethics. James had even toned down his mischievous ways since Lily had conceded to be his girlfriend, something not even the title of Head Boy had done.

Today, James planned to take the relationship just a little further. He was finally going to make a move to which Sirius had been egging him on since that fateful first date (a picnic by the lake preceded by weeks of planning). He was after a kiss.

Lily, of course, suspected it. Already she was impressed that James had managed to wait so long. But along with her suspicion she had just a little desire to play with her boy's emotions. He was clearly nervous, and she reveled in his faltering. She wanted to tease, where is that patented Potter confidence now?

At that moment, James had his confidence further shaken as Sirius Black knocked on the window beside the couple, making a kissy-face. Peter Pettigrew snickered behind him, while Remus Lupin simply waved to James and rolled his eyes. With a smile, Lily waved them inside. "Hi, how are you all?"

Sirius plunked himself down beside Lily. "I'm great, Red. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. James and I have just been talking about getting out of here." She grinned at her beaux, who had been hoping, as she knew, to get her alone. "Would you like to join us on a walk? I know a path that goes out to some old caves—it's pretty neat."

Remus, sitting next to James, checked his wristwatch. "Keep the time in mind," he muttered. He intended the comment for his friends, but it was Lily who replied.

"Remus, you know we don't have to be back at Hogwarts until eight," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, but the sun sets at four."

Lily laughed. "What, are you afraid of the dark?"

He looked down and summoned a sheepish smile. "You could say that." Next to him, Peter gave a knowing nudge.

"We'll be back in the village when it gets dark," Lily assured him, prompting the group to rise and head for path at the edge of Hogsmeade.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Remus whispered to himself, but he followed along with his friends.


	2. The Attack

-Part 2 – The Attack-

Bellatrix Black strode down a trail outside Hogwarts with one of the over-eager Slytherin students in tow. He had tried to introduce himself when Lucius decreed that the current students should be paired up with their more experienced counterparts. "Rosier. Evan Rosier," he had said, sticking his hand out awkwardly. Bellatrix had simply stared at it.

"I don't care," came her reply. Since then Rosier had kept quiet and followed behind her like the weak little minion she expected him to be. She would lead him as far as the village, and then act out the Dark Lord's orders without a second thought for her shadow.

In the distance, a twig snapped. "Mask down," Bellatrix snapped. She slipped her own disguise over her face and tugged up the pointed hood of her black coat as Rosier followed suit. They stepped off the path into the trees, momentarily out of sight.

From their hiding place, the sinister pair could see a group of students coming down the path, a couple holding hands and three boys with them. "Gryffindors," Rosier breathed. "A-and the girl is a _mudblood_," he spat.

Bellatrix's lips curled up into a sneering grin. Her fingers danced on her wand, but she held off for just a moment before sliding the walnut handle free and leaping into the students' way. As she had hoped, the mudblood screamed.

"Cruci-" she cried, thrusting a spindly arm toward the red-headed girl. But she wasted too much time in her malicious drawl, and before she could finish the Unforgivable Curse, the mudblood's boyfriend whipped out his own wand.

"Expelliarmus!"

Bellatrix's wand went flying into the brush. She screeched and grabbed at Rosier. "Give me that," she barked, snatching his freshly-drawn wand. Unarmed, the boy dove back into the woods to find the missing implement and to cover his behind. On the trail, the group of Gryffindor boys stepped forward with their own wands at the ready.

"Little Sirius!" Bellatrix crooned, recognizing one of the boys as her kinsman. "I heard you've finally run away. Ashamed of your reputable family?"

Sirius's eyes turned cold. "Cousin Bellatrix. I should have known you'd get yourself into some such madness." He lifted his wand. "Infligo!"

As Bellatrix moved to block her cousin's spell, Sirius addressed his friends without turning his head. "My cousin is crazy! Get Lily away from here! Run!" Without hesitation, James took Lily's hand and pulled her along with him back toward Hogsmeade. Peter followed quickly after them.

"Padfoot…" Remus hung back, uncertain. "We'll need you."

"I'm right behind you! Go!"

Remus turned and fled, listening closely to the sounds of battle behind him. When the shouted incantations ceased, he ventured to look back. To his relief, it was Sirius who came after him in hot pursuit. Together, they followed their friends back to the village.

-

The Hogsmeade that the boys and Lily returned to was not the one they had left. The already bleak gray November sky had gone black with billowing smoke. It seemed like half the village was on fire. Shards of glass littered the snowy cobblestone streets, the last remnants of shattered windows. Madam Puddifoot's door clung to the frame by a single hinge; inside, everything was scorched black. At first the Gryffindors could see no one, not on the streets or in the buildings, but as they gaped at the wreckage, a mob of people masked and cloaked as Bellatrix had been came around a corner.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" The ominous figures called out taunts and jeers to the seemingly empty streets. "Bloody cowards! Blood traitors! You can't run from the future of our kind!" It occurred to Lily that the Hogwarts students and Hogsmeade inhabitants must have been hiding. Obviously these miscreants had more on their minds than vandalism. She and the boys ducked into the burned out shell of Madam Puddifoot's before they could be seen.

"James," she whispered. He squeezed her hand.

"We're gonna get out of here," he promised. "Trust me."

-

Severus followed a gang of Slytherins through the deserted streets of Hogsmeade. At the head, the brothers Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange led the younger students. They seemed set on making a spectacle of themselves, firing off hexes and curses at anything that moved. Rodolphus had been the one who conjured the fiendfyre that set the village ablaze; he had nearly decided to leave it to its own agenda before someone pointed out that could just as easily torch their comrades.

Now, the smoldering flames gave them their only source of light in the early winter dusk. No one dared light so much as a candle to give away their positions to the murderous strangers who patrolled the village.

They hadn't killed anyone, so far as Severus knew. Not yet. But the damage grew with every passing moment, and something about the growing darkness brought out the worst in his fellows. It was as if their inhibitions ebbed away with the daylight. Cloaked in anonymous shadows, the actively sought out the terrified students, chasing any poor souls unfortunate enough to be causght out into the streets for humilation and torture. Rabastant inquired after each of their conquest's blood status. One third year boy was naïve enough to answer, "Muggleborn," in a tiny voice.

It was Rodolphus who did it. In a flash of green light, the boy fell to the ground.

Severus immediately felt sick. Merciful Merlin, he thought. Where is Lily?

-

"Where is Peter?" Lily asked across the village, where she, James, Sirius, and Remus had taken refuge behind the charred counter in Madam Puddifoot's.

The boys, who had been muttering amongst themselves, turned to look at her. "He's, uh… he's gone to explore," James answered.

"What? He could get killed out there!"

"He'll be fine," Sirius assured. "Peter can be quite inconspicuous when he tries." The boys shared a nervous laugh. For the umpteenth time that night, Lily felt as if she were missing something. She peered out the gaping hole that had once been the front window of the shop. Every so often, a group of the masked strangers passed by outside, shouting and cursing, and Lily's heart would race until their voices faded away again and their shadows disappeared from the singed walls. After what seemed like forever, she turned to face the wall instead.

When one of the shadows seemed to materialize within the shop itself, Lily turned in a panic. She was relieved to stifle her gasp, however, when the dark shape became Peter.

"Don't give the girl a heart attack, Wormtail," Sirius joked, pulling his friend down out of sight. "Now, what did you see?"

"Most everybody's in the basement under the Three Broomsticks," he replied.

Lily gaped at him. "You went all the way to the Three Broomsticks? Peter!"

"That's not all," he continued. "I went past Honeyduke's—those mad blokes are swarming the place."

"What does candy matter at a time like this?" Lily demanded, incredulous. "I'm beginning to think you lot are hiding more from me than just the tricks behind your pranks. What's going on?"

James laid his hand across Lily's arm before interrupting her, "Moony? What time is it?"

Lily was not placated by the gesture. "You're not even listening to me!" she whispered as loud as she dared.

"Oh, hell," Remus choked, checking his watch. "It's a quarter past five. We've got fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes," Lily interjected irately, "until what?"

"Until things get a whole lot hairier," Sirius explained. "And a whole lot worse."

-

Within minutes, the group had determined that for the moment, the street was clear enough for them to leave the sooty safety of Madam Puddifoot's. The boys still refused to tell Lily what was so urgent, but she followed them toward the edge of the village for fear of being caught alone.

"James!" she called after a bit. "This isn't the was back to Hogwarts! That path goes to the Shrieking Shack."

"We know, Lils," James answered. He stopped and reached for her hands. "You're right that we haven't been entirely honest with yo-" His mouth fell open and he stared upward.

Lily whipped around to see what had interrupted her revelation. A silvery bird glided toward them from the direction of the castle. As it approached, it swooped low and came to reest beside the couple. Lily recognized the majestic form of an adult phoenix.

"A patronus?" James murmured.

"A message," Lily explained.

The phoenix opened its beak, and the Headmaster's voice spilled out. "James, Lily. I hope this finds you safely. If the village has been attacked, you ought to know that we are not sending help immediately merely because we cannot. There is another threat, I'm afraid, closer to home. But no fear! Mr. Potter, you know how to get safely back to the school. By the time you arrive, all should be well here. I trust you and Miss Evans to guide our students home."

"But Headmaster, Remus-" James began.

"After this is all over, we can protect you secret route," the bird continued, and Lily could've sworn she saw it wink. "I like to use that one myself. Good luck!" With that, the bird dissolved like a mist.

"But Remus!" James shouted to the spot where it had been.

Lily whirled to face him, livid. "But what? What does Remus have to do with us getting everyone out of here?"

James shook his head. "Dumbledore thinks we can get out through Honeyduke's, but we can't. There's a passage there, but it's blocked. There's another way, but it goes through the Shrieking Shack."

Lily opened her mouth to ask, "So what?" but as she did, a horrible moan broke out ahead of them, followed by a series of garbled snarls. With a look of terror, Lily gazed up at the sky, lit by a freshly full moon, then back at the beast that seemed to be possessing Remus.

James was unfazed. "The Shrieking Shack," he explained, "is where we hide that."


	3. The Rescue

-Part 3 – The Rescue-

James wished desperately that he could have had more time for this moment. He had imagined in his daydreams a thousand ways to reveal to Lily his biggest secret. He would prepare her, he thought, with sweet nothings of a cryptic kind, and then dazzle her with his secret skill, his first chance to really show it off with pride.

Instead, his cover was blown in an instant. He had only the time to shout, "Don't be scared," before he fell to all fours and rose, to his shocked and terrified girlfriend's awe, as a stag. Before her eyes, Sirius did the same. Where he had stood, a massive black dog remained.

Lily grabbed for Peter's arm. "You too?" she whispered.

"Afraid I'm not much help now," Peter said. He stepped back and morphed out of sight, until Lily spied the twitching tail.

"Wormtail," she realized. "Padfoot. Prongs. Moony. Oh, God." Severus had been right. But his far-fetched theory hadn't mentioned the rest of the mischievous gang. Lily shrank back as Peter sprang up again. "What do we do now?" she moaned. "We can't take the students past… a monster."

James left the werewolf-baiting to Sirius for a moment to shift back by Lily's side. "Don't panic. I have an idea."

He outlined his plan as swiftly as possible. He and Sirius would drive Remus around the perimeter of Hogsmeade and back to the caves. There they could keep him guarded as they usually did and remain out of the way. Meanwhile, Lily would sneak the students out to the Shrieking Shack and back to Hogwarts. Peter would accompany her to open the passage and sneak past any masked lunatics.

Peter scampered off to the relay the plan to Sirius. In his absence, Lily fell into James's arms.

"We're going to be fine," he promised, burying his face in her hair. "We won't let them have the satisfaction." He kissed her cheek, then turned and bounded into stag form.

"James," she called softly.

He turned back and stood, human.

Lily ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. Before he could react, she pressed her lips firmly to his, eyes shut tight. For a single fleeting moment, they both relaxed in perfect bliss.

-

Severus, concealed in the forest nearby, turned away in disgust. He reached up and pushed back his mask from his face, but nothing was interfering with his vision. The reality of what he had seen hit him like an uncounterable hex.

So far, he had been able to deny it. For so long, he and Lily had mocked Potter and his cronies behind their backs. She had recognized them for the bullies they were. But since their falling out, she had begun to fall under Potter's spell. He could ignore it. He could convince himself that it meant nothing. He could throw himself to her feet and proclaim his unrequited and undying love for her. But he could never unsee Lily Evans passionately snogging James Potter.

Something in Severus broke at that moment. It wasn't just his heart, it was something more. Lily had been his conscience, his moral compass, his anchor to reality when his grandiose visions became too great, too cruel. She was the wedge between himself and his fellow Slytherins, the reason he questioned Avery's schemes and Mulciber's plots. Even after she had refused his final apology, he had continued to imagine her voice in his head.

"Are you sure about this, Sev?" "I wouldn't trust him if I were you," or even just a simple, "Don't." She guided him and his choices long after they stopped speaking. But no more.

Lily had made her final choice. She had committed herself to Potter, and now Severus needed a new guide. He would permit himself just a moment or two of mourning—and then he would return to the village, and the friends who would never kiss his sworn enemy.

-

As they drew apart, Lily began to cry. "James, they're Death Eaters, aren't they? Oh, they are!"

James didn't refute it.

"And Dumbledore said… that other threat! It's You-Know-Who! You-Know-Who, James! He's kill us as soon as look at us!" She buried her face in his shoulder.

"That's why we have to get everyone out of here. Lily, Peter's already gone to get the students. He'll get them back alright—there's safety in numbers." James stroked her coppery hair. "I'll stay with you, if you want."

Lily stared past him to where Sirius was trying, unsuccessfully, to divert wereRemus away from the path. "No…" she admitted. "Sirius can't get Remus away from here in time without you."

James nodded. "Okay. Keep your wand ready. Peter will be back soon." He kissed her one last time, then turned and morphed. As dog and stag drove the werewolf away for everyone's safety, James permitted himself one last look.

Lily had collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.

-

From the far side of Hogsmeade, Bellatrix watched the silvered phoenix descend. She instantly recognized it as an attempt as communication. Briefly she considered warning the others, but in the end her desire for glory won out. How proud the Dark Lord would be when she told him how she had single-handedly quelled this attempt to foul up his plan!

First, however, she would have to lose Rosier. "Over there!" she cried out of nowhere. The younger wizard peered to where she pointed.

"I don't see anything."

"The bushes moved. Go look! Someone could be hiding."

As soon as Rosier left her side, Bellatrix apparated to the other side of the village. She quickly realized that she had missed when she found it deserted. Cursing, she ran down the path leading away from Hogsmeade. The thing must have been further away than it looked.

As she ran, Bellatrix imaged what many lay ahead. A whole slew of filthy mudbloods, she hoped, cowering like animals. She would deliver them to Lord Voldemort like trophies, she thought, grimly pleased. Cold, dead trophies.

Footprints in the snow betrayed the location she sought. Wand at the ready, Bellatrix whirled around, looking for the recipients of the patronus. She nearly missed the redhead crouching by the edge of the path. "You!" she hissed.

Lily jumped up and scrambled to get her wand.

Bellatrix laughed cruelly. "Where's your little boyfriend now? Left you all alone in the cold, dark forest…"

Lily opened her mouth, but no spells came. This is it, she thought. She would die here, alone, just seventeen years old. She would never have the chance to graduate, get married, have children, or even live in the wizarding world. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She was all cried out.

Bellatrix grinned as she stepped forward, eager to toy with and dispose of this waste of a wand. She didn't even notice the black-cloaked figure step out of the shadows behind her prey.

-

Severus should have let her go. What better way to force this emotional nightmare to end? But when he saw that look of malice on Bellatrix Black's face, he just couldn't let her have her way with Lily. He jumped into the open and flicked his wand, yelling in his head, _Levicorpus!_

He looked on with pride as the sadistic witch flew upwards by her ankles. Then, he remembered in horror that his mask was up.

-

Lily watched in elated disbelief as the Death Eater rose into the air, dropping her wand. Her disbelief continued when she spun to see her sudden savior.

Standing behind her was another cloaked villain… with Severus's face.

She stared for just a split second before the person tugged one of those awful masks down and ran for the forest. After he was gone, she found herself questioning what she had seen. It couldn't have been Sev. Not dressed as a Death Eater. Not saving her. Not here, now. She shook her head. There were more important things to worry about.

The Death Eater still floated harmlessly above, but she was perfectly conscious, and screaming horrible things about Lily and her parentage. Lily couldn't let that monster watch them escape.

"And that blood traitor!" she was bellowing. "If I find out who that was… the Dark Lord will have his head!"

"Shut your bloody trap," Lily replied. "STUPEFY!"

-

Peter managed, with the help of most of the prefects, to get the students out of Hogsmeade safely. Lily met them at the Shrieking Shack. The younger students were hysterical. She did her best to keep everyone calm as Peter opened the passage, but word was spreading that the Death Eaters had killed someone, and that You-Know-Who was waiting back at Hogwarts for the rest.

Lily couldn't take it anymore. She climbed up on a creaky chair and hollered, "Enough!"

The students quieted and looked at her expectantly.

"Uh… okay then. Listen up. Yes, we faced Death Eaters tonight. And, erm… I think they killed somebody. But we all made it here because we stayed together and stayed safe. I don't care if you're muggleborn, pureblood, or anything in between. If we just think clearly and adapt to the situation, we know how to protect ourselves and each other. Believe it or not, there are even some on the other side who want to see this end peacefully. So we're going to go back to Hogwarts. The professors will know what to do. And this _will_ end."

Peter reappeared, and with a nod from Lily, began leading students into the passage.

Lily brought up the rear. As the last few students ducked into the passage ahead of her, she gazed out the window at the moon and the distant village. Far away, she could hear howling.

For once, it was a reassuring sound.

-

In the misty forest, a tall and imposing wizard faced his followers for the second time. His dark cloak was torn to tatters, and he clutched his upper arm to staunch the flow of blood from a curse wound. His kneeling underlings could scarcely believe that their exalted leader could fail.

"My Lord!" gasped a wide-eyed Bellatrix Black. "I didn't think you could bleed!"

The Dark Lord turned on the sycophant, sneering. "I will be infallible! I hear that you, Bellatrix, let a mudblood incapacitate you with ease."

"I-I was betrayed!"

"Perhaps." Lord Voldemort looked out across the wilderness, his sharp features blank. "In any case, we have all underestimated our opponents tonight. Dumbledore managed to warn someone in the village."

"My Lord," Lucius Malfoy began. He waited for permission to finish his thought. "I believe it was the Head Boy and Head Girl he contacted."

"Students?" the Dark Lord spat.

"James Potter. Lily Evans."

"Very well. They have defied us once." The cold, pale wizard tightened his grip on his wand. "They will not do so again."

**Author's Note: The End? Not quite. Be on the lookout for the final chapter: The Aftermath.**


	4. The Aftermath

-Part 4 – The Aftermath-

For two brief, blissful seconds after waking up, Lily couldn't remember any of the previous day's events. She thought she was up in her dormitory, about to begin a perfectly ordinary morning.

Then she heard the crying.

Lily sat up to find herself in the hospital wing. Looking around, she saw that every bed was occupied. Some student's parents had come, and judging from the muted shouts and violent gesturing, many seemed to be arguing. Others were lost in tears. Lily wasn't surprised. The safety of the school had been questioned. A boy had died.

The headmaster was striding about the room, seemingly trying to calm the more frantic parents. When he noted that Lily had awoken, he came to sit by her bedside.

"Miss Evans. Thanks are in order, I believe, for the safe return of most of our students."

Lily hung her head. "Most," she repeated. The word hung in the air.

"Yes. Young Joseph Keats fell victim, I'm afraid, to the Death Eaters. His parents have been informed. A memorial is planned for Monday. Classes are of course postponed."

"Were many people hurt?" Lily sat up more. "I really don't need to be here, it's so full…"

"You are just fine where you are. Luckily, not many sustained injuries. Madam Pomfrey simply wanted to keep an eye on those who reacted to the memory charms."

"Memory charms?"

Dumbledore looked around quickly to be sure that those around them were absorbed in their own affairs. "Yes," he said quietly. "The secrecy of the particular passageway you used is a matter of utmost importance to the security of the school, and to Mister Lupin's continued tutelage. I suppose you are privy, now, to his so-called furry little problem?"

Lily nodded slowly.

"Well, I imagine he is not upset by your knowing. Everyone else will find that in their panic, the details of the escape have gone hazy." He smiled. "But I think they do know that owe their safety to their Head Girl, among others."

Lily scanned the room quickly. "Professor, are Remus and James and Sirius okay? I mean, everyone's back, right? Except… well."

"Your friends are fine. Sleeping in, I believe, after a long night."

"And you wouldn't happen to know… Severus Snape. Did he get back?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Mister Snape returned to Hogwarts somewhat later with a few of his friends. They were out walking, or so he told Professor Slughorn. Missed the whole thing. How fortunate for them." With that, the headmaster moved on to try to placate a few more overbearing mothers, leaving Lily with her thoughts.

-

Over the next month, James ensured that the morning in the hospital wing was the last time that Lily had to be alone with those thoughts. The events of the Hogsmeade attack made him more affectionate, more protective, and completely unwilling to ever leave her alone again. Finally, the holiday break arrived, and the couple had to part to return to their families.

James waved animatedly as Lily's train pulled away, taking her home to the muggle station at Spinner's End. Lily smiled and waved as well until her devoted boyfriend faded from sight. Then she sat back with a sigh. She knew that she wasn't the only Hogwarts student on the train, but she and Severus hadn't made this trip "together" in years. He sat in the back now, in an old compartment all by himself.

Lily knew that she ought to just leave it alone. Whether or not that turncoat Death Eater was Severus, he didn't want her to know, or he wouldn't have run away like that. But deep down, she couldn't let it go. She got up and moved to the back of the train.

Alone in his compartment, Severus had his head bent over a textbook. He appeared to be scribbling something feverishly in the margins. Lily knocked on the window, and Severus sat up with a start. He hurried to let her in.

"Lily! Wh-what do you, um, what do you want?"

Lily promptly forgot everything she had prepared to say. All she could think of was that night outside the Gryffindor common room, refusing to forgive him. That, and the awful thought that he had gone ahead and done it—joined the Death Eaters. Practiced dark magic. Pledged himself to You-Know-Who. Lily opened her mouth, then closed it again. She gave Severus one long, thoughtful stare with those green eyes that haunted his dreams.

"Nevermind, Sev." She shook her head slowly and walked away.


End file.
